Windhoek
Reigning Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) Premiership champions Unam’s league title defence seems to be still struggling to have a smooth takeoff, following Saturday’s 24-26 defeat against Trustco United at UNAM Sport Field.
Fresh from last weekend’s resounding 40-6 victory against Walvis Bay Rugby Club at the coastal town, Unam were expected to continue with their fine form on Saturday, but Johan Diergaardt’s boys found the going tough against an equally determined United outfit.
It was, however, a perfect victory for United, who desperately needed the victory to dust themselves off from last weekend’s disheartening 20-22 defeat against Reho Falcons.
In their clash on Saturday, United were clearly the better team on the day, scoring their first try as early as the 10th minute through Tuna Amutenya, while Winmar Rust converted to give them a seven-point lead.
It took only a few minutes for United to extend their lead to 10 points, with Rust again on the scoreboard, this time driving home a penalty with much class in his execution. Unam took control of the game after 24 minutes into the match when they ran in three tries and a penalty to take a comfortable lead.
Rodney Coetzee scored Unam’s first try in the 19th minute; Silvano Beukes in the 24th minute and Camlo Martin in the 40th minute. Lorenzo Louis converted all tries and also scored a penalty for his team in the 36th minute. United managed to cut the gap through a penalty by the ever-enterprising Rust to finish the first half 24-13 in favour of Unam.
In the 2nd half, United continued with their dominance, showing great character and determination. With just 20 minutes gone, Rust was again in the thick of things, adding two penalties totake the score to 24-19 in favour of Unam. Through speedy winger Nandi Karuuombe, United added another try, which was converted by Rust to win the match 26-24.
In other action, Western Suburbs also recorded a 30-16 victory over Rehoboth, while Wanderers defeated Kudus by 24-18. – Additional info: Nampa.